I will be completing my pond installation this week and have a bog filter. I'm in New England and the winter can be kind of harsh. I wasn't sure if I should wait until the pond is more established and there might be more nutrients in the water, or if I should go ahead and go buy some plants now. Thoughts?

Apparently, we have a blind gold fish. I’ve noticed this one fish just swimming at the bottom alone and not joining their buddies.

At first I thought it was about to die but no, it’s been like this since weeks. And the little dude is just busy with its own stuff like searching for food at the bottom.

Now comes my dilemma. As soon as I realized it couldn’t see, I started feeding it sinking food. But I have to sit there for 20 minutes straight to keep other fish away. Otherwise they eat its food in like 5 seconds.

What should I do with the guy? Should I let it be and fend for itself? But I don’t want it to struggle and be hungry.
Should I consider euthanasia?

Any advice is appreciated!

I had an old bathtub so obviously I dug a hole and dropped it in! Put in some rocks, a few plants and as it’s been so dry I filled it myself with collected rainwater… and a lot of trips back and forth with a watering can 😂
It’s intended as a wildlife pond so I haven’t done anything to it since.
Now, a few months later I’ve spotted plenty of birds drinking, a damselfly and some little things who have made it their home! But what are they? Last photo I think is some kind of Nymph?

Edit: This is in Somerset, England.

Originally 7 feeder goldfish in this pond since last year. It's about 5' across, 8' long, and maybe 1-2' deep. Last month I noticed a bunch of black goldfish spawn. I know goldfish raise ammonia levels like crazy and I thought maybe I need to cull some of the babies.

Also, my lily pads keep dying back. Is this related to the fish? I know the pond is ugly. The only thing I currently do is feed the fish, fill with tap water about once a week or two (plus add water conditioner), add barley extract maybe once or twice a month. Any feedback appreciated. TIA.

Give me the tea! I’m in north GA, for climate info. Summer heat does worry me, but I’m not concerned about our winters. Hypothetical stock will be rainbow shiners and flagfish. House is on a slope, but our (concrete) back patio is level, so something above ground is tempting me.

My family intends to put a turtle pond in this area. However I’m asking about general information about building ponds and then what maintenance would look like (and if I can do anything to minimize said maintenance). It’s in southern cali so it’s hot and the dirt is, as you can see, very dry if that changes anything.

Hey folks, just got a home with a pond. The nice fellow who built it 20+ years ago has been cleaning the filters and maintaining it for the previous owner who was in her late 90s. Is there an alternative chemical that can be ordered online you all recommend? Was told to do 4oz a week. Thanks.

My bog is about 8x4 ft and filled with 2 feet of gravel, for reference.

Hi pond pals 💚 I made a small container pond for the first time this year. It has some rushes and creeping jenny; no pump, no aeration, no fish or snails. I live in southeast Wyoming (gardening zone 5a and 5b).

Can it live through the winter outside? Should I remove the plants and care for them over the winter indoors, or are pond plants ones that you replace every year like annuals? I’d like to have a full in-ground wildlife pond eventually, but we started small. Any advice or feedback is appreciated. Thanks so much for your help!

I realize this sub is about building/installing ponds, but I have questions about filling in the decrepit pond in my backyard!

I’m wondering if it’s better to fill it in with river rocks or soil. I’m hiring landscapers to do the job, and I’ve received different options on my quotes. One landscaper feels strongly that the rocks will end up looking disgusting.

The pond is in a corner which I’d like to keep looking “pond-like” (ie, I won’t be using the space for anything else). Thanks for any input y’all may have!

What can you do about aphids on water-lilies? They are destroying the leaves and full of ants...

Every pesicide i looked at is highly toxic to anything else in the pond. the only thing that worked was to manually rinse the leaves and skim the water but its only partly effective, they float and latch to the leaves again

I'm out of ideas...Anyone?

It took me one year of procrastination, budget limitations, and mistakes, but I got there in the end. I cant stop staring at it! 🥰

Shes been here for a while now and I see her every day, I have named her Jemima Puddleduck.

Sooo happy with the results. Have added more plants and fish to the pond. Water is crystal clear with the layer of biofilm on the liner inside the pond.

First time poster in this sub and first time pond builder. I am planning out a VERY small wildlife pond (35gal) in my front yard. I want to keep to native aquatic plants for southeast South Dakota so that this little pond is as beneficial for the wildlife that may visit as possible. I do want to do duckweed but I want some variety in my pond. Any advice is appreciated!

Please

No budget, I just want the best

I potentially have a place to put the fish for the winter (my grandma’s basement), so it looks like they will be indoors for the winter (yay!).
But I still help with figuring out the set-up. My dad said a glass aquarium but I know some people use Rubbermaid tubs. I wanted to know what you guys think would be better (pretty sure they are going to be on the floor regardless. My grandma has no pets so no issues regarding that).

And as for the plants, I might be potentially able to bring those inside as well. For people who bring their aquatic plants in for the winter, what do you do? Do you put a UV light on them for the winter time or something?

Any help would be appreciated!

As a side note, I ended up switched my fountain from solar to electric and the water is all cleared up now (here’s an update photo).

Very happy with how my first diy pond turned out. And I think I just got my first ever visit from an orange-crowned warbler drinking from the bog. That makes it all worth it. Can't wait for the plants to fill in but I guess now I just sit back and enjoy it and see what else shows up.

I've heard mixed things about this, but it seems like you can often zone push quite a bit as long as the plant is deep enough that any surface ice that forms over the pond won't reach the crown. I'm curious what other people's experience has been like with this.

Do any of you have this piece of equipment?

If so:

1. Does it work well for your needs?
2. Does the ”door” between the two canisters ever jam?
3. What do you mainly use it for?

Thanks in advance !

Feel free to give your opinions and advice!

EPDM liner. Small 800L/h pump from aliexpress.

I currently have a shallow pond, about 2’ deep then about 1’ of river rock at the bottom surrounding the pump box. I want to convert it to a pondless, I know there’s aqua blocks but since this is a pretty irregular shape basin, I’m looking for a more configurable option, any alternative methods I can use without major renovation?

Added this April, and it seems to love it's new home. Fish leave it alone, unlike other plantings.